Package spring group



April l1, 1961 G. F. coUcH PACKAGE SPRING GROUP Filed June 24, 1957 G. I F

FIG. i

his Attorney l along l the lines 3-3 of spring plate.

Ysupported by coil springs on V+United States Patent O 2,979,324 v PACKAGE SPRING GROUP Glenn Ff Couch, Bergen,` NX., assgnr to Symington Wayne Corporation, a corporation of Maryland Filed June -24, 19157, ser. No. 667,400 s claims. (Cl. 267-9) invention relates to snubbed railway trucks and particularly to snubbing means for snubbing the period oscillations of coil springs supporting a bolster or other member `of a railway truck. n '111el primary object of the invention is to provide an improved snubbing means for coil springs wherein a friction shoemovable with yone of a pair of relatively movable members of Va railway truck is frictionally engageable with anfriction surface movable with the other member and is both rcarried and urged into such frictional engagement by resilient means.

y AAnother object of the invention is to provide snubbing means of the character described wherein the resilient means by which a friction shoe is carried and urged into frictional engagement with a friction surface, is held by the` supporting springs for movement with the member with which the friction shoe is movable.

. An additional object of the invention is to provide a package spring group wherein a plate spring carried by one of the spring plates both carries and urges a friction shoe intro frictional engagement with a friction surface carried by therother spring plate.

vA further object of the invention is to provide an irnproved package spring group wherein a friction shoe movable with one of the spring plates is rockably connected to that plate by a plate spring which also serves to force Vthe shoe into frictional engagement with a friction surface Vcarried by the other spring plates. Other' objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in 4the accompanying drawings, in which:`

Figure l is a side elevational View partly in section of a package spring group embodying the present invention;

4 Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view partly in section of the package spring group of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken n Figure l; and Figure 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the top Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate snubbing -means of the present invention, while employable for snubbing the relative movement of any pair of relatively movable members of a railway truck, one o-f which is the other, has been applied forpilrposes of illustration to a package spring group or selfLsnubbed spring package 1 insertible in the customary manner in a window opening (not shown) of a side frame (not shown) for the snubbed resilient support of a bolster 2', the package spring group resting either directly on the side frame or on an interposed spring plank 3, depending on the type of truck to which it i's applied.

The package spring group 1 of the illustrated embodiment is comprised of top and bottom spring plates 4 and 5, respectively, vertically spaced by a plurality of supporting Vsprings 6, shown as engaging the vertically spaced, confronting faces of the bolster 2 and spring plank 3, respectively. Relative horizontal movement of each of these members and the related of the spring plates conveniently may be prevented by positioning studs 7 carried by the .spring plates and seatable vapertures 8 in the bolster 2 and spring plank 3. The spring plates 4 and 5 are 'suitably like parts, the improved surfaces 11 is a friction ice ribbed on their confronting faces for holding the engaged ends of the supporting springs 6 against horizontal shiftmg, this function in part being performed by peripheral flanges 9 bounding the sides of each of the spring plates and each extending therefrom in the direction of the other spring plate. y

Fixed to, rigid with or carried by the bottom spring plate 5 and upstanding or extending upwardly from either end thereof in the direction of the top spring plate 4 is a pair of end walls 10 having or carrying a pair of confronting vertically directed or disposed friction surfaces 11, the latter being horizontally spaced in correspondence with the spacing of the end walls 10 and preferably being substantially nat. Each of the end walls 10 conveniently may be formed as part of a lower housing 12 closed at its sides by side walls, webs or gussets 13 which merge with the peripheral flanges 9 at the sides of the bottom spring plate 5. Frietionally engageable with each of the friction face 14 of a friction shoe 15 connected to and movable with the top spring plate 4.

y By contrast with conventional package spring groups, the connection between the friction shoes 15 and the top spring plates 4 is made by a common plate or laminated leaf spring 16 of inverted U-shape. The plate spring 16 has an intermediate portion 17 which is substantially nat and adapted to lie in a slot or groove 18 of substantially the width and depth of the spring and formed in the underside and extending longitudinally of the top spring plate 4. The end portions or legs 19 of the plate spring 16 are bent downwardly or downstanding from the `opposite ends of its intermediate portion 17 and extend below the top spring plate 4 sufficiently to overlap vertically the friction surfaces 11 on the bottom spring plate 5. Each of the friction shoes 15 is designed to be connected to one of the downstanding legs 19 of the plate spring 16 in such fashion that the shoes can rock or pivot relative thereto so as to maintain surface contact between the friction faces 14 and surfaces 11. For this purpose, each of the legs 19 adjacent its lower extremity is crimped or bent to provide an outwardly facing concave socket or recess 20 in which is received a convex lug, ridge or protuberance 21 integral with and extending substantially centrally across the adjoining or associated of the friction shoes 15 and instanding therefrom. Since the plate springs are in toto yieldable or resilient, the configuration of the lugs 21 and their sockets 2) need not be cylindrical, as would be the case were the legs rigid, it sufcing that the ridges and sockets be substantially triangular in cross-section and curved or arcuate only over their tips or extremities.

The disposition of the intermediate portion 17 of the plate spring 16 within the longitudinally extending groove 18 in the underface of the top spring plate 4 in overlying relation to the supporting springs 6, enables the latter to clamp, press or hold the plate spring in its slot and thus cause the plate spring to move vertically with the top spring plate 4. Shifting of the plate spring transversely of the top spring plate is prevented by the sides of its groove and relative longitudinal shifting may readily b'e prevented by providing at either end of the top spring plate a downstanding hood or flange 22 conforming substantially in inner curvature to the bends 23 in the plate spring joining its intermediate portion 17 and legs 19. As will be noted, the hoods 22 preferably do not follow exactly the curvature of the bends 23, instead diverging somewhat therefrom in a downward direction so that their lower extremities are normally spaced outwardly of the contiguous portions of the legs 19. This spacing permits limited relative movement in a direction substantially normal to each of the friction surfaces 11', lateral in the case of the side fram'e (not shown) and longitudinal in the case of the top and bottom spring plates 44 and 5, without displacing the lugs 21 on the friction shoes 1S from their sockets 20 in the legs 19. It will also be noted that the top spring plate 4 is of less longitudinal and transverse dimensions `than the bottom spring plate 5, so that the top spring plate can telescope or be telescopingly received in the lower housing 12 on maximum compression or loading of the supporting springs.

From the above detailed description, it will be apparent that there has been provided snubbing means for snubbing the periodic oscillations of coil springs which, particularly when embodied in a package spring group, produces one both effective in operation and simple and rugged in construction. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a railway truck, the combination with spaced relatively movable supporting and supported members and interposed supporting spring means, of a friction surface movable with one of said members, a friction shoe separate from said members and having a friction face engageable with said friction surface, and plate spring means clamped by said supporting spring means to said other member and connected to and acting on said shoe, said plate spring means connecting said shoe for movement with said other member and urging said friction face and surface into frictional engagement.

2. In a railway truck, the combination with spaced relatively movable supporting and 4supported members and interposed supporting spring means, of a friction surface movable with one of said members, a friction shoe separate from said members and having a friction face engageable with said friction surface, and plate spring means clamped between said supporting spring means and said other member by action thereagainst of said supporting spring means, said plate spring means connecting said shoe for movement withsaid other member and urging said friction face and surface into frictional engagement.

3. In a railway truck, the combination with spaced relatively movable supporting and supported members and interposed supporting springs, of a friction surface movable with one of said members, a friction shoe having a friction face engageable with said friction' surface, and plate spring means connected to said other member and rockably connected to said shoe for causing said shoe to move with said other member while urging said friction face and surface into frictional engagement, said friction shoe being supported and spaced from' said other member by said plate spring means.

4. In a railway truck, the combination with spaced relatively movable supporting and supported members and interposed supporting spring means, of a friction surface movable with one of said members, a friction shoe separate from said members and having a friction face engageable with said friction surface, and a plate spring clamped by action thereagainst of said supporting spring means to said other member, said plate spring having a leg downstanding from said other member and rockably connected to said shoe for causing said shoe to move with said other member while urging said friction face and surface into frictional engagement.

5. In a package spring group, the combination with top and bottom spring plate members and interposed supporting spring means, of a substantially vertically directed friction surface carried by one of said members,

-a friction shoe having a friction face engageable with said friction surface, a leaf spring having a portion seating in a groove in said other member and clamped therein by action against said portion of said supporting spring 75 2,596,282

means, a leg on said leaf spring extending beyond said other member in the direction of said one member in overlapping relation to said friction surface, and a lug instanding from said shoe and rockably received in an outwardly opening socket in said leg for connecting said shoe for movement vertically with said other member, said plate spring acting through said leg for urging said friction face and surface into frictional engagement.

6. In a package spring group, the combination with top and bottom spring plate members and interposed supporting spring means, of a substantially vertically drected friction surface carried by one of said members, a friction shoe having a friction face engageable with said friction surface, a leaf spring having a portion seating in a groove in said other member and clamped therein by action against said portion of said supporting spring means, a leg on said leaf spring extending beyond said other member in the direction of said one member in' overlapping relation to said friction surface, a lug instanding from said shoe and rockably received in an outwardly opening socket in said leg for connecting said shoe for movement vertically with said other member, said leaf spring acting through said leg for urging said friction face and surface into frictional engagement, and means on said other member overlying a portion of said platespring and normally spaced therefrom in the direction of said one member for enabling limited relative movement between said members in a direction substantially normal to said surface without disengaging said face and surface.

7. In a package spring group, the combination with vertically spaced top and bottom spring plate members and interposed supporting spring means, of a housing fixed to one of said members and extending toward and `adapted to telescopingly receive said other member, confronting substantially vertically directed friction surfaces in said housing and spaced longitudinally of said spring plate members, a pair of friction shoes each having a friction face engageable with one of said friction surfaces, a substantially U-shaped plate spring having an intermediate portion seating in a groove in and clamped to said other member by action against said portion of said supporting spring means, legs on said plate spring at opposite ends of said intermediate portion and extending into said housing in overlapping relation with said friction surfaces, each of said lugs having an outwardly 'facing socket, and a leg instanding substantially centrally from each of said shoes and rockably received in the adjoining of said sockets, said plate spring through said legs connecting said shoes for movement with said other member while urging said friction faces and surfaces into frictional engagement.

8. In a package spring group, the combination with vertically spaced top and bottom spring plate members and interposed supporting spring means, of a plurality of transversely spaced vertically directed friction surfaces on one of said members, a pair of friction shoes spaced vertically from said other member and each having a friction face engageable with one of said friction surfaces, and a plate spring clamped by action thereagainst of said supporting spring means to said other member, said plate spring having transversely spaced end portions projecting from said other member toward said one member and each connected to one of said shoes for supporting said shoes for movement with said other -member while urging said friction faces and surfaces into engagement.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Olander May 13, 1952 

